1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a modular binder. More particularly, the present invention is related to a modular binder having a removable ring assembly with a guide member and an anchor, a detachable insert with a selection of pockets, and a binder cover configured to receive and secure the ring assembly and detachable insert.
2. Technical Background
Personal productivity has become an ever-increasing goal for many people as they try to juggle their daily schedules. One tool for aiding personal productivity is a calender or planner system which includes a series of pages corresponding to the days, weeks, or months of the year. These pages allow the user to plan his or her activities on a regular basis. Most planning or calender systems are contained in a binder and used on a daily basis. Other people, such as students, also have need for a binder on a daily basis. Accordingly an increasing number of people are carrying binders with them wherever they go. Many even use them in place of a wallet or purse.
Most binders come with some sort of paper entrapment system, such as a ring assembly, that is permanently affixed to a binder cover. However, with the increase in personal binder users, it would be advantageous to be able to vary the appearance of the binder without having to remove all the paper from the entrapment mechanism. If the entrapment mechanism where removable, it would allow a user to easily change the appearance of the binder to fit a particular situation. For example, a rugged-textured colorful binder, typically used in less formal situations, could become a black leather binder, suitable for more formal circumstances, by simply switching out the paper entrapment mechanism to the more formal black cover.
Thus, there have been some attempts to create a binder with a removable ring assembly. Some designs include a pair of posts affixed to a spine portion of the binder cover. The ring assembly is configured with a pair of holes for receiving the posts. In one design by Segal (U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,131), the posts are configured to engage keyholes. A separate mechanism is used to lock the ring assembly in place. In this configuration, however, the attachment of the ring assembly to the binder cover is not easily accomplished. Each end of the ring assembly must be simultaneously aligned with the posts in order for the ring assembly to be secured to the binder cover. This simultaneous alignment is often tedious and time consuming, especially when the holes in the ring assembly are obscured by the paper entrapped within the ring assembly. Often times, the paper must be separated or even removed completely before alignment can be accomplished.
Another design by Shillinger (U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,454) similarly employs a pair of posts which must be simultaneously aligned with opposing holes in the ring assembly to secure the ring assembly. In this design, the ring assembly is secured in place by a pair of clips, which once secured, are difficult to remove. Further, the clips are separate pieces which are susceptible to being lost. Thus, it would be advancement in the art to provide a modular binder with a ring assembly that is easily secured in place. It would be a further advancement to provide a modular binder that could be locked in place without the need for a separate locking mechanism or non-attached locking pieces.
Some binders have covers configured with pockets to store pens, business cards, or any number of items. Like most ring assemblies, however, these pockets are a permanent part of the binder. These binders do not allow the user to alter the pocket configuration to suit a particular situation or need. Thus, it would be an additional advancement in the art to provide a modular binder configured to receive a detachable pocket insert having a variety of pocket configurations.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that it would be an advancement in the art to provide a durable and versatile modular binder with a ring assembly that can be easily secured to, and released from, the binder cover allowing the user to have a variety of binder "looks." It would be a further advancement to provide such a modular binder with a positive anchor that did not require a separate or additional locking assembly or unattached locking pieces to secure the ring assembly to the binder cover. It would be an additional advancement to provide such a modular binder with a detachable pocket insert that could be easily switched out for another insert with a different pocket configuration.
Such a modular binder is disclosed and claimed herein.